Stressed? Tired? We need to take care of ourselves!

As entrepreneurs and leaders we all wear so many hats, both at work and at home. Our business, our family and our community depend on us! However, it is critically important that we have time to take care of ourselves. Why? Check out this Tedx for the psychology around self-care :

So how do we do that?

I am going to use my life now as an example, but please note it took me a long time to get to this point!

1) What have I done in the last few days that was just for me (not for my family, business, etc.). How long did it take? How did it make me feel?

This is what mine looked like two days ago:

Gym workout – 70 minutes, motivated

Bath – 45 minutes, relaxed

Tik Tok before bed – 45 minutes, blah

My example is based on one day, but normally I look back 2 - 3 days.

2) Am I spending enough time? What is working? What is not?

Self-care became a necessary priority for me a couple of years ago. When I first began evaluating my routine, I felt I was not spending enough time on self-care. I decided to increase my time by at least 5 hours per week. Healthy eating, wellness medical visits, exercise, sleep, hobbies, reading and friendships were ideas I considered.

Then my issue became consistency. I found that I did better if I could find a way to practice self-care daily rather than saving it up for the weekend or a vacation. I reevaluated my activities and routines and make some more changes.

Now it appears I need to make sure that my self-care activities are filling me up and not just thinking breaks -

My analysis: I am spending enough time, but Tik Tok has become a bad habit. I am watching it before bed most nights. I think I will try swapping that out with reading for one night.

3) How did the change go? What worked? What needs modification?

I will continue to review my progress periodically until it feels right. This is mine from yesterday:

Outside walk – 60 minutes, energized

Cooking healthy lunch for myself – 20 minutes, proud! (I am not a cook . . .)

Call with sister – 30 minutes, happiness

Read book before bed – 15 minutes, relaxed

I am not giving up Tik Tok! But reading before bed makes me feel better.

One resource to check out is the book Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg: https://tinyhabits.com/book. It guides you through how to make lasting habits one small change at a time.

Spending time taking care of myself has increased my energy and reduced my stress. I would love to know what works for you!

Note: This is not medical advice, just me sharing what worked for me in hopes others will find value in it.